Anatomy meets dentistry! Linking anatomy and clinical practice in the preclinical dental curriculum

Abstract

BackgroundEstablishing a strong link early on between preclinical coursework and the clinical context is necessary for students to be able to recognize the practical relevance of the curriculum during their preclinical anatomical courses and to transfer knowledge more easily. Our objective was to enhance the clinical relevance of a preclinical anatomy course for second-year medical students of dentistry by implementing an interdisciplinary skills training course on “Palpation of the Head and Neck Muscles” and to measure the learning outcomes.MethodsFor the curricular development of the expanded course module, Kern’s 6-step approach was applied including subjective evaluation. We used a peer-teaching format supported by an e-learning application. A randomized control study measured effects of the two components (skills training, e-module) on learning outcomes. Four learning methods were compared: (1) lecture, (2) lecture + e-module, (3) lecture + skills training, (4) lecture + skills training + e-module. An objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) was used to measure and compare learning outcomes.ResultsThe two-way variance analysis demonstrated that participation in the skills training had a statistically significant effect on the OSCE results (p = 0.0007). Students who participated in the skills training did better (φ 107.4 ± 14.4 points) than students who only attended the lecture (φ 88.8 ± 26.2 points). Students who used the e-module but did not attend the skills training earned a slightly but not significantly higher average number of points (φ 91.8 ± 31.3 points) than those who only attended the lecture. The learning outcomes of the skills training were again significantly increased when the training was combined with the e-module (φ 121.8 ± 21.8 points), thus making it the ideal method for achieving the learning objectives defined in this study.ConclusionsThe “Palpation of the Head and Neck Muscles” interdisciplinary skills training course linking basic anatomical knowledge and clinical skills led to clearly improved learning outcomes for both, anatomical knowledge and clinical skills. The additional use of an e-learning tool (e-module) improved the learning effect.

Drawings as learning aid for the human anatomy students’ based evaluation

“…A clear example of this continuum is knowledge of anatomy and effective clinical knowledge [1]. Oral and maxillofacial surgical skills have the irst priority in this aspect.…”

“…Basic knowledge of head and neck region anatomy is one of requirements for undergraduate dental education [1]. In addition, one of the essential requirements for ef icient oral and maxillofacial surgeon is comprehensive knowledge in anatomy of head and neck regions [2].…”

The practice and teaching of palpation of the head and neck: A scoping review

“…Many were anecdotal (literature review or authors recount their personal experiences with palpations). [15][16][17][18][19] There was a mix of methodological designs including Randomized Control Trials; [20] correlation studies; [21][22][23][24] mixed methods; [25] and prospective study design. [23] The sample size across the included studies ranged from 13 [18] to 152.…”

“…Punj et al [19] reported statistical significance (ANOVA; p = .001) between students' abilities to palpate various skin disorders (seborrheic keratosis; squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma) during "hands on practice" (p. 806), after they reviewed case studies as opposed to passively learning content online. On the other hand, Rafai et al [20] found a statistical significant difference on the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) results (T-test; p = .0007) when clinical practice was combined with palpation e-learning training. Furthermore, Leppington et al [18] added that "vertical integration" (p.51), the idea of weaving palpation skill teaching throughout the curriculum rather than at one moment in time is vital.…”

“…Eberman and Finn [16] used critical thinking emphasizing the gradual learning and practicing of palpation; shifting from knowledge to evaluating and synthesizing complex mass location and patients' circumstances. Raffi et al [20] used experiential learning theory to emphasize the concept of peer teachingdoing during head and neck palpation.…”